6:3, 4 Baptism, the sign and seal of initial union with Christ, is the burial service for the “old self” (v. 6) as well as the inauguration ceremony for the new person in Christ (v. 4). As such, it proclaims that those united to Christ have died to sin. From 5:20 to 8:4, sin is presented as the driving energy that produces sinful acts, and is personified as a tyrannical taskmaster, demanding dominion and needing to be resisted. See theological note “Baptism” on page 1623.